AIB Jan 2010-Summary

I came to January’s residency with a body of work that discussed a fascination I have with the tenacity of the natural world over man’s best efforts. First was a group of drawings, which is a continuation of a daily practice I have discovered for myself while working on my MFA.

These drawings are a represented mediation on growth and time and recently I began working on velum to bring a sculptural element to these works. My intent was to draw an environment that surrounds the viewer with an image of incessant growth. Which I feel these do successfully. Though these are very attractive and accessible to many people, I think it would be difficult to force them into a thesis body of work. Perhaps I can use this work as a point of departure for forms in the work I plan on pursuing during the next semester.

Second I brought several photographs showing what I have dubbed “found sculptures.” They depict places where the human environment is overcome by the forces of nature. At all times microbes are working, but given enough dust deposited by the wind a layer of topsoil becomes a home and eventually trees burst forth. I had a variety of photos of these places where nature saw its opportunity and moved in. Although I wish to continue to document these places and allow them to continue to inform my work I will not be using photographs as an element in my thesis work.

The third work I brought were wall sculptures, these works with cracks, glass mosaic and the living grasses in them had humor and metaphor, and they married aesthetic attractiveness with the concept behind my work. They seemed to function as a contemplative objects without the label “activist work.”

The World without us and Pods

This is a side show of various photos I have taken of places that have been forgotten by people and nature is taking over.

The second half of the side show is photos of pods I have taken to study forms in nature

New Ideas from August

Real life experience of the world without us!

A lesson from an expert pod maker!

I am playing with bags again

In my search for the various forms for the plastic bags, I started weaving them on a wire form. This is my first attempt a bit too egg like but I had to work out how to make the wire frame and see the thing woven. I can see some possibilities.


While working in the garden I needed to put up an arbor for the peas

I was about to place this brown ugly grid on the poles when it occurred to me that all they need is a weaving to climb.


I can't wait to see how the peas grow up on the weaving and totally engulf the matrix.

This is a sketch of a sculpture. A couple changes are going to be made. First the birds will not be all the same bird, second the weaving will be less regular. This is the story of the bird carrying the bags. 

Found these poor guys on the road the other day. The things I've been thinking about a lot lately is the details of life. The things that pass us by most of the time but occasionally it gets noticed and then it has a new power. I have also been interested in the struggle of man and nature. Really thinking about the place where these two forces meet or collide.

These are several drawing I am doing. I am working out a language with these. They grow organically for me and they remind me of the philosophers stones in Chinese gardens.